Explore South Dakota: Poker Venues and Gambling Laws
The state of South Dakota is best known for one of the most iconic American landmarks, Mount Rushmore. The colossal sculpture of the faces of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theo Roosevelt was built between 1927 and 1941.
As for gambling in the state, land based casino games are legal, thankfully. Worldcasinodirectory.com lists a total of 38 licenced casinos within the state. That is not bad for a population of less than 1 million people.
Most of these establishments are located in the city of Deadwood, a real gambling center in the region. It is also a very important location in poker history.
This is the city where frontier hero “Wild Bill” Hickok was shot dead during a game of 7-Card Stud in 1876. According to urban legend, he was on fourth street when the deadly bullets of his assailant hit the back of his head. He was holding two pair, AA88 of Spades and Clubs. This hand, the two black Aces and the two black 8’s, are known as “the Dead Man’s Hand”.
The saloon where this legendary and deadly poker game took place was called Nuttal & Mann’s. It became a famous attraction after the incident, until it burnt down in 1879.
Famous South Dakotan Poker Players
William Eichel from Parker, SD sits on top of the South Dakota all time money list in the Hendon database, as of now. He has $650,506 in lifetime live tournament earnings. In January 2001, he came in second in the $5,000 No Limit Hold’em Championship event at the 1st Annual World Poker Challenge in Reno, NV for $165,870. That is the biggest single live tournament cash of his career to date.
Second on that list is Michael Moore from Agar, SD with $576,113 in live cashes. His biggest live score is $211,743. He got that for winning his first and only WSOP gold bracelet in the $5,000 Limit Hold’em event in 2013. He also finished 10th in the 1995 WSOP Main Event for $27,680.
Online Poker in South Dakota
Online Poker Legislation in South Dakota
Online poker is illegal in South Dakota. While the state allows other forms of gambling, such as land-based poker in licensed casinos, it has not passed legislation to legalize or regulate online poker. There are no state-regulated online poker platforms, and participating in offshore poker sites is not allowed under South Dakota law. Currently, there are no significant legislative efforts to legalize online poker in the state.
Best Online Poker Sites in South Dakota
Live Poker in South Dakota
Live Poker Legislation in South Dakota
Article 20:04 in the South Dakota Codified Laws covers gambling in the state. Thankfully, it is legal both on Native American land and in commercial casinos across the state. However, you need to apply for licences with the South Dakota Commission on Gaming in order to operate a casino legally. It’s a five-member commission appointed by the governor.
Private games, also known as “social gambling”, are technically illegal in the Mount Rushmore State. However, no citizen has ever been arrested or charged with a crime for playing some cards with their friends for some money, so you’re probably safe to host a home game if you wish.
Live Poker Venues in South Dakota
At Cadillac Jack’s Gaming Resort in Deadwood, SD, you can play Hold’em cash games on a number of different stakes. However, quite uniquely for the time, they’re all spread limit. Spread limit is a rare betting structure in which the players can bet only bet amounts within a certain range on every street. In this poker room, the spread limits are $2/$10, $3/$15, $3/$25, $5/$200, and $10/$300 – all Hold’em.
They also host weekly tournaments, on Tuesdays and Fridays. On Tuesdays, they run a $60 NLHE tourney starting at 12 PM; and a bigger, $140 NLHE tourney at 6:30 PM. On Fridays, you can play another $60 NLHE event, starting at 12 PM.
Original Saloon no. 10, also in Deadwood, stands where the legendary Nuttal & Mann’s Saloon stood, which we mentioned in our intro. Befittingly. You can still play Limit 7-Card Stud cash games there, the same game Wild Bill played while he got shot – just don’t sit with your back to the entrance! The game is $2/$10 Spread Limit 7-Card Stud Hi-Lo, but you can also play $2/$10 Spread Limit Hold’em, $4/$8 Limit Omaha-Omaha 8 mixed game, and $2/$10 Spread Limit Dealers Choice mixed game.
You can also find year-round poker action in the cardroom of the Dakota Sioux Casino & Hotel in Watertown, SD. They hosted multiple poker festivals in the past, such as the Summer BankRoll series, or the $175 NLHE End of Summer Tournament.
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